Leon Askin Movies

Austrian director Stephan Wagner makes his feature debut with this edgy deadpan film noir about two friends who -- upon opening an antique shop -- learn more about the themselves and the world around them than they cared to know. Former thug Bernd (Thomas Morris) grows weary of the crime racket and particularly of his psychotic partner Erwin (Wolfgang S. Zechmayer) and decides to buy a curio shop from an old man with his buddy Paul (Simon Licht). Paul manages to pool some money together for the purchase thanks to the family of his girlfriend Eva (Eva-Marie Straka). Problems arise when Paul throws his relationship with Eva in jeopardy when he involves himself in an increasingly intense affair with Lisa (Tatjana Alexander). Meanwhile, Bernd, who is using the shop as a cover for his drug-dealing ring, garners some unneeded notice from his scorned colleague Erwin. Matters come to a head when Bernd is ordered by crime boss Dragan to kill Erwin while Paul's romantic double-dealing finally catches up with him. Kubanisch rauchen was screened at the 1999 Denver Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

This Austrian comedy is laced with a touch of black humor as it follows the exploits of a young man runs away to the country to get away from his family and life in the city. Mario had a tough life. He was abused by his father, gang raped in prison, and then after he becomes friends with a transvestite is booted out by his dad. He goes to the country and meets an old farmer who invites him to stay. There he meets the farmer's never-wed middle aged daughter. Mario and she gradually fall in love. She helps him after his father shows up and tries to blackmail him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This uneven attempt at horror parody, direced by Norman Thaddeus Vane, gets off to a fairly promising start with a fun performance from Ferdinand Mayne (the imposing lead vampire in Roman Polanski's Fearless Vampire Killers) as the impossibly flamboyant horror superstar Conrad Radzoff -- whose idea of a memorable promotional stunt for his latest film involves the murder of its director. Though this proves a hard act to follow, Radzoff manages to do so by kicking the bucket himself. Then enter the annoying young members of a horror-film society who decide to steal Radzoff's corpse to use as a macabre centerpiece at their next hootenanny. Big mistake. Mrs. Radzoff is none too pleased and consults a spirit medium to reanimate her husband's body and avenge the desecration of his crypt. Sadly, what began as a clever comic nod to horror films of yore (and their die-hard fans in particular) collapses completely into routine slasher formula as Radzoff floats his coffin around the house in pursuit of his enemies, dispatching them in outrageously gory ways. Distributors released a title on video, shortly after the run of this film, entitled 'Frightmare II.' It was in fact a 1974 Pete Walker film all but unrelated to this one and erroneously advertised as the sequel to Vane's film. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

In this comedy, the death of his rich father leaves Foster (Tony Danza) as the sole heir to a five-million-dollar estate -- if he can keep his dad's three pet orangutans safe and sound for the next five years. With the help of his disgruntled girlfriend (Stacey Nelkin), Foster must struggle keep the outrageous apes out of trouble. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

Lending his burlesque touch to 1970s genre revision, Mel Brooks followed his hit "western" Blazing Saddles with this parody of 1930s Universal horror movies. Determined to live down his family's reputation, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (co-screenwriter Gene Wilder) insists on pronouncing his name "Fronckensteen" and denies interest in replicating his grandfather's experiments. But when he is lured by Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman) to discover the tantalizingly titled journal "How I Did It" in his grandfather's castle, he cannot resist. With the help of voluptuous Inga (Teri Garr), wall-eyed assistant Igor (Marty Feldman), and a purloined brain, Frankenstein creates his monster (Peter Boyle). Igor, however, stole the wrong brain, and the monster tears off into the countryside, encountering a little girl and a blind hermit (Gene Hackman). Frankenstein finds the monster and trains him to do a little "Puttin' On the Ritz" soft-shoe, but the monster escapes again, this time seducing Frankenstein's uptight fiancée Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn) with his, ahem, sweet mystery. His love life and experiment in shambles, Frankenstein finally finds a way to create the being he had planned. Shooting in gleaming black-and-white, with sets and props from the 1930s and appropriate fright music by John Morris, Brooks' cheeky attitude towards the Hollywood past attracted a large audience, turning it into one of the most popular 1974 releases after (what else?) Blazing Saddles. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

On three occasions between 1973 and 1975, Star Trek producer Gene Roddenberry attempted to launch a new science-fiction series. All three pilot films were predicated on the premise of a modern-day scientist awakening after nearly two centuries in suspended animation. The first of these feature-length pilots was Genesis 2, which debuted March 23, 1973. Alex Cord stars as Dylan Hunt, who opens his eyes to discover that he now resides in a post-apocalyptic world. He is reluctantly recruited into a resistance movement, aimed at toppling the present despotic regime. The film's "money scene" involved leading lady Lyra-a (Mariette Hartley), who at a crucial plot juncture lifts her blouse to reveal that she has two navels. When Genesis 2 failed to click as a series, Roddenberry and company tried again with Planet Earth (1974); when that didn't sell, the property was reworked as Strange New World (1975). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

John Considine does a cut-rate Vincent Price impersonation as the flamboyant Dr. Death, a thousand-year-old magician who has mastered he art of transferring souls from one body to another and thereby manages to perpetuate himself by jumping from one body to the next (which actually makes him more of a "Seeker of Bodies"). Apparently the Doc is a kindred spirit to the Alien, since his blood is a highly-corrosive acid that can strip flesh from bone, thus ensuring his personal safety. This is "Z"-grade fare that plays somewhat like a Herschell Gordon Lewis film, but without enough silliness to keep things amusing. The only point of interest keeping this film in circulation (mainly via late-night-cable) is the presence of sad-looking former Stooge Moe Howard in his last role as a perverted old man. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is assigned to recover some stolen platinum and round up the thieves. To do this, he poses as the go-between for a notorious fence--then sets the stage for a major falling out amongst the criminals. An abundance of TV veterans show up in this episode, including Stefanie Powers in her one-and-only F.B.I. appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Klink's fellow officer Captain Hugo Hauptmann (Sandy Kenyon) is exposed as a traitor. Put on trial, Hauptmann finds that his life is in the hands of Klink, who has been chosen as counsel for the defense on the theory that he will bungle the job. It is up to Hogan to save both Hauptmann and Klink in order to steal a map of German submarine installations. First telecast on February 7, 1971, "Klink for the Defense" was written by Bill Davenport. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Can it be that Hogan has gone to the other side? It sure seems that way when he agrees to accompany Klink on an underground mission to England to steal a revolutionary new American plane. In truth, however, Hogan merely pretends to go along with the scheme, the better to expose a Nazi spy ring operating in London. Cynthia Lynn, who played Klink's secretary Hilda in several first-season episodes, is here cast as Eva; also in the cast is a pre-Police Academy George Gaynes as the General. Written by Laurence Marks, "Easy Come, Easy Go" originally aired on January 10, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Kathleen Freeman returns as General Burkhalter's Wagnerian sister Gertrude. By virtue of her engagement to Major Wolfgang Karp (Lee Bergere), Gertrude has been placed in command of Stalag 13. This development puts a crimp in Hogan's plan to smuggle an American general into London -- but only temporarily. Leslie Parrish, best known for her portrayal of Daisy Mae in the 1959 film version of Li'l Abner, is here cast as Karen Richter. Written by Laurence Marks, "Kommandant Gertrude" originally aired on February 28, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Schultz becomes temporary Kommandant when Klink is called to active duty. Depending upon Schultz's ineptitude, Hogan works up a plan to smuggle an Underground courier and a cache of uranium out of Stalag 13. Unfortunately, Schultz's newfound power goes to his head (where there's plenty of room), and he morphs into a minor-league dictator. Written by Laurence Marks, "Kommandant Schultz" originally aired on November 1, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hogan plans to use the wedding of General Burkhalter's chubby niece Frieda (Muriel Landers) as a rendezvous point with an Underground agent -- and as step one in an elaborate escape plan. Thus it is that Hogan's Gallic "hero" LeBeau impersonates an effete Parisian designer. Others in the cast include Dick Wilson ("Mr. Whipple" of TV commercial fame) as Count Von Hertzel, horror-film regular Bruno VeSoto as the Allied agent, and Bruce Kirby (father of actor Bruno Kirby) as a Gestapo man. Written by Laurence Marks, "Gowns by Yvette" first aired on January 30, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi